According to one source, back injuries are the nation's number one workplace safety problem. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that more than one million workers suffer back injuries each year, and back injuries account for approximately twenty-five percent (25%) of all disabling work injuries, as well as one-fourth of all compensation indemnity claims in the United States.
Moreover, the BLS survey shows that four out of five (80%) of these injuries were to the lower back, and that three out of four (75%) occurred while the employee was lifting. The other twenty-percent (20%) of back injuries presumably occurred to the upper back, including the spine and lower shoulder region. Such back injuries and the associated upper trunk pain and discomfort may include those sustained by persons such as plumbers, who frequently work under sinks in the supine position for extended periods of time with their backs against the sharp lower outer edge of a cabinet.
No approach has been found for totally eliminating back injuries, though it is felt that a substantial portion of these injuries can be prevented by an effective control program, including equipment specifically design for the protection and/or the prevention of back injuries, and an ergonomic plan of work tasks.
In this regard, an increasing number of persons use back belts to try to prevent lower back injuries. Researchers noted that about 4 million back belts were purchased in 1995 alone to try to prevent lower back injuries.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a device for protecting the upper trunk region of a person, including a portion of the upper back, spine and/or lower shoulder area, from injury and/or discomfort while in a supine position.